Introduction

API Key authentication allows you to consume Nearmap imagery in an application without having to provide your Nearmap username and password as authentication credentials. Instead you include an API Key – a unique long string associated with a particular user on your Nearmap account – and then include that API Key in all requests to Nearmap endpoints, typically by appending it to a URL.

Management

You manage API Keys using a simple user interface within your Nearmap profile; no API call is needed to create an API Key.

Validity

An API Key is valid until you delete it; you do not have to regularly refresh it.

Usage

API Key authentication works for both desktop applications and custom web applications. If your application supports using map content via any of the supported Nearmap interfaces, including WMS, TMS and Image API, you should be able to integrate Nearmap imagery with minimal configuration using an API Key.

Configuration

Restrictions

By design, you cannot use an API Key to log into the Nearmap MapBrowser and the Customer Portal web application. Use your Nearmap username and password to log into both MapBrowser and Account Management.

Organising Your Integrations

There are two key components to Nearmap API Key authentication:

API Applications allow you to organise your Nearmap integrations, and to set different access restrictions for different integrations. You can have as many API Applications as you need on your Nearmap account. You must be a Nearmap administrator to create and manage API Applications.

Every user on a Nearmap account can create one API Key for each API Application on that account. Usage accrued by an integration that uses an API Key will be a recorded against the user who owns that API Key.